Lock and Load
by Mystic25
Summary: A soldier's weapon is their best friend, first love and best backup. And at Manticore, it's more then that. Rating is for imagery and situations


TITLE: "Lock and Load"  
  
AUTHOR: Mystic25  
  
EMAIL: yellowrubberduck31@hotmail.com   
  
SUMMARY: A soldier's weapon is their best friend, first love and best backup. And at Manticore, it's more then that.  
  
DISCLAIMER: Cameron, so na na!  
  
A/N: Wrote this one fast, just wanted to have something more of a military aspect of Manticore. This is set before the escape of '09. I know Max hated guns, but she was trained as a solider at Manticore first, and that's what's depicted.   
  
*****   
  
MANTICORE SPECIAL OPERATIONS FACILITY GILLETE, WYOMING   
  
0600 HOURS (6:00 AM)   
  
"Move it soldiers! Get those pansy ass lady legs moving!"   
  
They rise, all of them, as a unit, almost as a single entity. It's early, but they know nothing of early anymore. Early exists in a fantasy world where children sleep in late tucked in by relations called "parents"   
  
Boys dress in front of girls, girls in front of boys, their brothers. There are no secrets here. Nakedness puts them all on the same level.   
  
"My eighty-two year old grandmother moves faster then this in her wheel chair!" the OP still shouts at them.  
  
They slide into camo, green forest wear, to hide them from an enemy they will one day face for real. An enemy that will not be able to hide from what they are.   
  
"Fall in formation!"  
  
They are outside in a strict military line of attention in front of a long table, a table of guns.   
  
Military issue M-16's, black, laser sights, fully loaded, all waiting for a trigger.  
  
"Choose your weapons soldiers!" another OP walks down the line as they all grab a gun at the same moment. A well-oiled, well trained, precision timed machine.   
  
The OP moved out of the way of the firing range "The target is twenty yards ahead. Fire at will"  
  
Guns went off. Loud, rat-tat-tat sounds blasting through the air. Empty shell casings hit the dirt at their feet. Once a clip was spent they reached for a replacement, never once breaking their union. Clip by clip was emptied until there were no more, and shell casings showered their boots in a sea of metal.   
  
"Check your weapons for any jams!" the OP's voice began again "make sure the barrel is clear of powder residue. Remember on the field this gun is the best back up you can ever have with you. If you follow through correctly it will never miss, never let you down and never turn down an order to launch an assault. Your lives do not belong to you out there, or to this facility. It belongs in the capability to use you weapon to it's maximum potential."   
  
He stopped in front of one soldier "X5-452"  
  
"Yes Sir!" the girl was only nine years old, but her gaze was fierce, strong. She knew nothing of her age. She had no childhood.   
  
"Why is your weapon THE most important thing with you in the battlefield?"  
  
"Because everything else is expendable Sir"  
  
"Even your own life?"  
  
"Yes Sir. The technology cannot be made to keep its secrets from the enemy the way a soldier is trained to do and therefore must be kept safe above the cost of everything else, including our lives"  
  
"Excellent 452" the OP didn't sound impressed, even though he praised her. She was supposed to know this.   
  
"Technology is an imperfect creation. YOU are not. You are super warriors, created and bred for the sole purpose of fighting, smelling and soaking up blood. You must perfect the imperfection; let the weapon become a part of you; an extension of your arm. So if you loose it you will function as well as if your arm was shot off in front of your face. It's crucial that you remember this now soldiers, because walking around with a stump where your arm use to be in battle is like standing beside a tree soaked in Napalm and lighting a match."   
  
All the soldiers didn't say a word. But they thought about it. Each one of them.   
  
*****   
  
2020   
  
The gun shot off, a Cobra, nothing as big as before, but still loyal to Zane to scare the car thief away from his ride.   
  
His best friend was Millie now, but the Cobra came in a close second.   
  
= = =   
  
Jondy hangs around the Golden Gate Bridge with a revolver tucked in her jeans. She's never had to use it. But she knows how, knows what those people don't who shoot off blindly into the night. Her arm extension is in there, where the bullets are housed, all it needs it's a trigger.   
  
= = = =  
  
Canada was quiet for Tinga, but a .22 caliber rifle was tucked under her bed. Best she could find out here in no man's land. But it was better then nothing.   
  
= = = =  
  
Syl keeps a Sig in the drawer with her lingerie, and dared anyone to try and get a fetish for her silkies.   
  
= = = =   
  
Krit shoots cans off back alleys at night, and disappears before the cops can catch him for purchasing his Colt off the black market.   
  
= = = =   
  
Zack has a 9mm in his light fixture next to an extra clip. It jostles when his upstairs neighbors get freaky. It's been zero times, but it waits. Only lady who's ever trusted him when he says he's got good aim  
  
= = = =  
  
Max swore off guns. A long time ago after Eva. She fights with her pure physical stamina and it wins her through a lot of heat. But she still remembers the smell of the powder, and the feel of the metal in her hands. She found out Manticore was an imperfect creation. But then so was the gun. So it still really was an extension of their arms.   
  
*****  
  
Not my usual fanfare. Just something I thought up. I'm not all pro-gun, but I feel if their used right they can be useful. Having said that I think guns in the home besides from law officers are very risky. Kids who can find their way into locked pool fences, can find their way into locked gun cabinets and boxes. If you own a firearm, be smart about it. Saying "it was an accident" doesn't make your baby any less shot.   
  
R/R please 


End file.
